Land Conflicts between Powerful Men, the Rich and Local Villagers in Bavel

Two constant land conflicts have occurred since 1996 and 2005 in O’Vol Preng and Boeung Bat Phtel of Khnach Romeas commune, Bavel district, Battambang province between residents, who were the victims of their land having been grabbed; and several powerful men and the rich, who were alleged of seizing their land of about 161.50 hectares.

The conflicts have impacted on 38 families; and those perpetrators included Ieng Oeun and Mon Mika. Ieng Oeun had lived in Pheakdey village, Takream commune, Banan district before he came to grab villagers’ land in the above conflict site in 1999; and Mon Mika came to bulldoze those local people’s land on February 18, 2005. Coming along with Mon Mika that day were Mek Heng, a police official from Battambang province, Police General Moeuk Tara and also joint armed forces to threaten them to leave their homes and raze more than 70 hectares of their land.

In relation to the above issues, those local villagers have lodged complaints with provincial authorities and Battambang Provincial Court of First Instance many times, but they have been ignored. In addition to the victims of their land being infringed, 15 village representatives have been arrested and still prison.

Once again on August 11, 2009 some of those affected families came to Phnom Penh city in order to file complaints with national authorities– Supreme Council of Magistracy, Prime Minster Hun Sen, Interior Minister Sar Keng, the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Inspection and Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction– to seek their assistances against the above mentioned perpetrators and their partisans.